Cooling-tower



E. BURHORN.

COOLING TOWER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1919.

1,394,605. Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

min.

w Bmk n,

BY R0? w, KWUW Cam W4 ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES EDWIN BURHORN, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

COOLING-TOWER.

Application filed May 3, 1919. Serial No. 294,551.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN BURHORN, a citizen of the United States, residing at I Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State vof New Jersey,have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Cooling-Towers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. 7 V

This invention is a novel; cooling tower, that isto say, an apparatus wherein the cooling: effectof currents of atmospheric air is utilized to lower the temperature of water .distributed'a't the top and passed through the tower by gravity and drawn ofl at the base in its cooled condition for use, for example in a condenser of a power plant.

The main object of the present invention is to increase the efficiency of cooling towers, more especially by improving the uniformity. of distribution of the water descending through the tower. The further and more particular objects and advantages will be made clear in the following descriptionvor will be obvious tothose skilledin the art. Tothe'attainment of such .objects and advantages, the present invention consists in. the novel cooling towershown and described andj-the novel features of structure, combination, arrangement, and detail therein. V

In the accompanying drawings showing a suitable example of the principles of the present invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe upper part ofthe cooling tower,

showing the initial water distributing means 1 above-the topmost deck. I Fig. 2 isa vertical section on'the line 2, 2

above the first deck. 7

novel distributing. means is employed, lo-

cated above the upper. deck of thetower, the same having two or more rows or series of laterally directedjets or streams of water so mine, for example Patent No. 1,287,630,

granted December 17 1918. Above these j and transversely to the length of the trough is: the distribute; pipe hav ngat least two .to operate-in natural currents of air, the .transversely spreading ets of water above cifically described, The upper deck is shown of Fig. 1, showing.- the distributing action- .40. r V According to the present invention, a

form and the overflow will occur satisfactorily uniformly throughout the length of each trough. As the apparatus is supposed each trough are liable to be diverted by the wind so as'to fall outside instead of within the trough, and, therefore, with the :combined elements I have provided means to insure that each jet will .be delivered into its trough, it consisting of a wind shield or shieldssuch as to prevent laterally blowing winds from undesirably diverting the jets.

Referring tothe drawings, the tower framework may consist of uprights 10 and suitable cross-pieces or braces 11,. for example at eachdeck level. Frequently it is desirable to surround all the sides of the tower by a series of louvers 12 which tend to give a more desirable direction to the air flow'inside the tower. The drawing shows an upper deck 13 and a lower deck 14, and there may be further similar decks therebelow so that the descent of the water is delayed and broken up and-the water redistributed at each deck before passing on. The decks below the'upper deck 13 may be somewhat similar and need not be speas comprising a series of inverted channels 15 carried at their ends on supporting channels 16. Theinverted channels 15 are spaced slightly apart so that the distributed .water may descend between them." I V Carried upon the channels 15 are a series of troughs 17 These are preferably parallel and may be suitably spaced according to desired conditions.

1 The general plan of atower'of this na-. ture is to maintain a distribution or feed of water into all of the series of troughs 17, and these troughs are arranged in-asuitable manner, for example, by notches 18, to overfiow at spaced apart points, giving relatively small streams of water which. pass downwardly over the whole length and breadth of the tower. As seen in Fig. 2, each of the -notches218 is above one of;.the spaces between two of the inverted channels 15.. In

addition to the multitude of small streams thus produced, there is a constant splashing and dripping between the troughs and channels at the upper deck and each deck beneath, so that the water at all times is being constantly subjected to the action of evaporation and direct contact with natural currents of air passing through the tower.

The distributer of the present invention is located above the parallel series of troughs 17 at the upper deck 'An advantage of the present invention is that a single distributer pipe may be employed, giving simplicity in operation, ease of maintenance, better equality of distribution, and lower first cost. The upwardly extendingfeed pipe 19' is shown connected by an elbow to the single horizontal distributer pipe 20 of this inven tion. 7 These pipes may have suitable additional supporting means besides those to be described.

The distributerpipe 2O hereof is shown as extending transversely, that is at right angles to thedirection of the troughs, which, as lo'elow seen, may be located directly be neath the distributer pipe;

Two or more series of apertures and jets are shown atthe upper side of the distributer pipe'20. The apertures 21 are directedlaterally to one side an the apertures 22 laterally to the other side, each having an inclined upward direction so that the stream or fountain of water issuing from each aperture will constitutea fountain, spout or jet, that will carry to a;substantial distance toward the ends of each trough. Fig; 2'

diagrammatically shows the path of each water fountain or jet. In addition to the lateral jets there may be a vertical jet issuing through the central series of apertures 23, the water therefrom descending at each side of the distributer pipe into the middle part of the trough beneath.

Thus, a distributing means is provided which furnishes water to each trough, and

in each trough furnishes the water not merely to one point, tendingto produce unevenness ,7 water will tend to overflow uniformly from the notches 18'at both sides and. throughout infiuences of wind.

of distribution and overflow, but at a plural- 'ity of spaced-apart points, namely, near the middle and near the ends; Therebythe the length of each overflow trough 17 insure that each jet will deliver properly 'into its "trough, notwithstanding"diverting A wind shield device is to this purpose provided. While this might take different for1ns,'I have shown'the same thefor'm of an inverted box of sufficient' length to'encolnpass allof-th'e water jets and of sufiicient height and width to' avoid impeding the jet or fountain action 9 as shown m'Fig. 2. As I'prefer to protect tower.

lVh-at'is claimed is: The apparatus as a combination of ele-x ments 18 completed by cooperatingmeans to the'jets from all directions of wind, the same is shown as having end walls 25, 25, opposite side walls 26,, 26, and a top wall 27 suitably constructed of durable material such as iron plates riveted together. This shield. structure may rest upon the edges of the troughs 17, as shown, and may bealso bolted into proper association with the distributer pipe 20. To this purpose the shield is provided internally, near its end, with a cross-bar 28 bolted to; the opposite sides and resting directly upon apart of the distributor. pipe. In association with the cross-bar 28 is a bent underhangi'ng'bar or stirrup 29 constituting a U-shapedclamp snugly surrounding and contacting the "distr ibuter The wind shield 24 is shown open atthe bottom so that the water fountain action andother' features of the water flowoccur without interference. The troughs may be and are shown extending beyond the wind shield at their ends. This-permits a smaller wind shield. The generally outward or spreading action of the water jets21 and 22 tends to cause flow toward trough ends, thus insuring that sufficient water 7 will reach the notches externally of the wind shield.

either toward one end or toward one side.

*Aarniform overflow level is thus assured,

giving an effective and uniform distribution from the topmost deck of the tower,'so that the efliciency of the tower is much enhanced as compared with any initial distribution "which permitted the water to descend generally toward one side or one end of the It will thusbe seen that Thave described a-coolingftower operatingup'on the principles and containincth'e advantages ofthe presentinvention; kinceman'y matters of combination, arrangement, dimension, de-

sign,- and detail may bevariouslymodified without departing fIOIIl'the principles of the improvement, there is no intention oflimiting-the invention to such features except in so far as set forth in the appended claims.

1'. In a cooling-towerwherein" the "de- :scending water is subject to} direct contact with natural 'currentsFo-fair, the" combination with a-tower framework,a;- s ries of distributing decks spaced *vertically" apart, a distributer operating abovethe upper deck to produce a plurality of lateral water jets directed upon the upper deck, andshielding means arranged to'protect such jetsagainst lateral d ection bythe wind;

The combination as"in c'la1 m l a d wherein the'upp'er deck con's'ists'of a series wherein the clistributer consists of a single 10 central water pipe located above the upper deck and within the shielding means, with jet orifices directed laterally toward both sides.

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my 15 signature hereto.

EDWIN BURHORN. 

